1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to data security, and more specifically, relates to a system and method that monitors information access requests in a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
It is an axiom that information is power and therefore having access to the right information confers a competitive advantage over others in the modern world. Each company closely guards the information essential to its business. Traditionally, access to sensitive information within each company is restricted to a small number of authorized personnel who are entrusted with the proper passwords or security keys (whether electronic or physical). This access control scheme is simple and easy to implement; however, it is not flexible and does not detect abnormal access by those who are authorized.
An authorized user may be authorized to access personnel data, sale information, or other sensitive data during working hours on the company's premises. The ever increasing ubiquity of easily affordable technology, however, has increasingly blurred the lines between the traditional workplace and the home. Users are frequently taking work home with them, during the course of which they may require access to sensitive data from home. This abnormal behavior would not be detected under the traditional access control scheme since the authorized user is providing the proper credentials for access. A traditional password or certification system may be considered analogous to a pin lock and key in this case; so long as the key properly aligns the tumblers to open the lock, the lock cannot differentiate whether the key is authentic or a forgery.
Therefore, there is a need for a system that detects abnormal user behavior and it is to this system the present invention is primarily directed to.